Method of welding.



E. THOMSON.

METHOD OF WELDING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 14, 1910 1 .m m H H mm m 5 n ho. M 0 Mm L W 7. O V A 6, w 6 0 w Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

KIT AW- E. THOMSON.

METHOD OF WELDING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 1910.

1,076,467,. Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

Ill

Alllllll!!! E Lihu Th wane UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIHU mHQMfSOH, OI SWAMPSCOTT, MASS4CE E'J-W, ASSIGNOB T0 THOMSON ELEC- TBIC=WELDING COMPANY, OF LYNN, IASfiACHUS-EWS, A .GORPORATION OF MASSA- GH-USETTS;

mes-Inc on WE-LDLNG,

Speciflcation Of LQStQIS iatent, v

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

7 Application filed March 14, 1810. Serlal No. 543,087.

To all whom it may concern;

e kn w that I, EL HU TH MsQ a citizen 'o f the United States, and a resident of Svvamoxslcott, in the county of Essex and wher the? natur i such t a t e diluen sions ,must he preserved in thejprocess of elding so that it is not permissible possible to' 'push the parts together longitndlnallyas i's're uired in the ordinary process of forining a "utt-weldfed joint b the elecgric welding process My inv'en 10,11 thereore will he seen't'o he ep. llcable, among other things, to the .union 0, an endless rim,

7 margin .orfframe to its'center or body or insu e, in'i hich a a will e bv us, noimotieiiient of'one part with relation to the othefiiii the plane of the finished structim .td rm a di ary b tt-We ed me between them is possible, At thesame time t will be readily rs ood ha th nention might be applied to oth a e wher in the pr ess o u n f the two parts, no longitudinal movement of the compcnent p ts shqel take p ace fe t ason that such movement would change the u tima dimensi ned th fi s d ar icleinvention is particularly useful, howeirer, for welding the center or body of a car wheel intO its tireor and makes it possible to produce rear wheel or locomoi W eel on which the t re shall be of h gh-gra te l and the en er of m ld steel, and .isnch th at, shql tld the tire sect on ek; the whe will still be he d q h r by its union with the center of soft steel.

In construct'ng a car,v vheel accord ng to my inventiomtlie tire made of rolle .11 11' grade Stee whil th center consists o, a, mild steel casting.

As will be apfiarent description, my invention .is app lcable either to a complete web or disk Wheel or. to one having spokes. 7

1n describing the improved process of Welding,,forn1ing.the broad invention herein claimed,'l will set ,the Same tooth in its applicationto the construction of a car Wheel Ina e according to, my invention, from which its ap lication to other metal structures forrne of e number of parts Welded together or to any case oi the welding of two pieces of etaltoge her wi l. b eadily nde s qd- ,roedly stated, the'invention consists in providing the ,tivc. pieces that are to be we ded i h itabl prej tt e s i f ing them so that when assembled or brought together'theywill be held laterally displaced fem tha ilti nt nes n y parts t o nea th des ed s m e mi s of w l union, asse them in engagement at such points at laterally displaced, bringing the parts to plastic condition by-heating them n gn'y suitable vvey, preferably b' passing e heating electric current through h m, and pp y n lat na pr s u t b thQ-IllllltO their proper relative position and a h am t m Weld them t g her, s id pa ts being n such per io maintained a ins lo g u ina displacem t Tllh nvention con ts further i t nerticular processes or methods product mo pe ti nlat y spe ifi d in the laims at the end of this description.

QE t e app i at o my in e tion t the ni n f a endless rim or margi to an inclosure, this longitudinal displacement is prevented the form of the component part which consists oi the endless rim or. margin provided the same be stiff enough. In other cases, other or extraneous means y be us d. h d e par ga longitudinal displacement during the ap licat on Of the lateral pressure or in ct er ords against displacementin a line transverse to the line of epplicaticn o the pressure which moves theparts laterally into the required n timatetpe itwn n h .stt u Assuming tha my inv tio is applied to ,uni nghe t r o r m an i n e .1 dnanna etus of e mm suc as illu trate t att mp' e dr ngs m y eempeyd;

'In said draw ng igur 1 is a sidelelevetiqn and partial vertical central vsection of aid apperatn showing a wh el rim and it c nter ,i p si i n in he ppar t s; e 'ntm ety'tc th perfcnmance elf-the wel mg shown in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 illustrates the form which may be given to the rim and center at their points of engagement preparatory to the welding operation. Fig. 4 shows the center as entered or nearly entered into the rim portion by the welding operation and Fig. 5 shows the manner in which the welded union may be subjected to forging or pressure during the cooling. Fig. 6 shows a vertical section of the welded wheel in the forging machine. Fig. 7 illustrates a modification in the mechanical appliances for holding the rim in position in the apparatus duringthe welding.

l is the tire formed by a rolling or other operation with an interior projection which may be continuous or run clear around the interior of the tire and which is preferably rounded or sloping at its side where it is to be engaged by the outer edge of the disk or center 2 of the car wheel. Said disk or center 2 is preferably finished withia hub and center when held laterally displaced out of plane with one another by the said rounded projections or sloping outline is shown in Fi 3 and likewise in Fig. 1 where the rim an center are shown assembled preparatory to the operation of welding them together by lateral pressure or pressure applied transversely to the lane of the finished structure.

As shown in t is figure, the disk casting or center rests under the, tire portion 1 before the application of the welding pressure and is supported in such position preferably by the means employed for applying pressure. Said support may consist of rods 3 connected to and operated by hydraulic pistons arranged around the center and terminating in the supporting blocks 4 of any desired number. When an electric current is used to bring the engaged parts of the rim and. center to welding temperature these blocks 4 are preferably copper blocks forming terminals for the flexible secondaries 5 of a welding transformer or transformers, said flexible secondaries belonging preferably to a single circular transformer w osecore 6 is an annulus of soft iron.

The rim or tire 1 preferably is supported during the welding operation in an annular or segmental seat or rest 8 into which the tire part 1 preferably fits. Said seat or rest is also preferably so constructed as to hold the part 1 against radial expansion or deformation. This feature of construction of the part which holds the rim' is not essential when said rim' consists of a very heavy piece of metal as in the case of a car wheel rim,

since the latter. is ordinarily itself of sufe ficient rigidity to resist the tendency'to ex pansion due to the crowding of the center into place within it. In the case, however, of rims or other objects or of car wheel rims which may have some degree of flexibility, it is desirable that the rest or holder 8 should be of a construction to hold the rim against such tendency to deformation.

The seat or rest 8 is suitably sustained in the seat or frame of the machine. Suitable clamping devices, as shown, are employed for holding the-rim or tire 1 solidly down in its seat and so as to rigidly maintain it in position when the center 2 is forced up by hydraulic pressure into place within the tire or rim. The seat or rest 8, when electric heating is used, is also preferably of copper and forms the other terminal of the transformer, being suitably fastened to the opposite terminals of the flexible secondaries 5. A primary of the transformer is merely indicated at 7. The clamping devices shown in Fig. 1 provide a screw clamping but as indicated in Fig. 7 a small hydraulic ram whose plunger has a sloping head 9 may be employed, said plunger head operating when forced inward to press the tire or rim or part 1 down upon its support and so as to hold the same firmly when the center 2 is forced up into place. Any number of such clamping devices can be arranged around the rim or other part 1. Assuming that the parts are in the position shown, it is evident that if the meeting edges or projections of the rim and disk or center or what have already been described as projections, are softened by heat and an upward pressure is applied to the center 2 while the rim or margin 1 is held down, said center will be forced into position or approximately into position within the rim or tire part. This heating at the projections or meeting portions occurs when the welding or heating electric current the parts before the union has taken place.

In such a structure as this, where the dimen si'ons are fixedafter welding, so that if coutraction'by cooling takes place, the web or center would tend to pull away from the tire, it is necessary to prevent this by subjecting thestructure after welding to such a manipulation as would spread the metal at the heated portion and cause it to fill dur-- ing contraction, and in Fig. 6 a machine for doing this immediately after welding and while the parts are hot is shown. The Wheel is quickly transferred after welding and while hot to rest on an abutment 10 directly under the welded portion, and above the same is a circular abutment or set of projections 11, driven downward by hyot the weld may be compared by examining Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This action is a spreading action of the .hot metal at the weld and should-be performed while the material is still plastic and the pressure should be maintained whi e the heat is being lost; and it is well too, that the pressure be greatly increased as the metal gets cool.'. 1

My invention is not limited wholly to wheels but may be applied to any structure where it is necessary to preserve dimensions and where there is no opportunity of pushing the pieces together longitudinally, so to speak, t at is, it is'adapted to producing structures to given dimensions and by using as the metal for the Weld metal obtained by a lateral squeezing up, b which, owing to the rigid maintenance 0 the part 1 in position so that it will not yield longitudinally, there will result a Weld which is, so to Yspeak' a combination of lap and butt weld. That I claim as my invention is: v

1. The method of uniting a metal rim or margin and its metal inclosure by so forming the edges at the points of union that when engaged they will be laterally displaced from the p'osition they occupy with relation to one another in the finished structiire, bringing them into edgewise engagement at such points, passing a heating electric current to bring the portions thereof to plastic condition at the points where they are engaged and applyin" lateral pressure to move the parts out 0 their position of relative lateral displacement toward theposition they occupy in the finished structure. 2. The method 'of welding two pieces of metal together,consisti'n'g in so forming the edges at the they may belheld laterally displaced from the positionitheyoccupy with relation to one another in the finished structure when brought into engagement, bringing the two pieces into edgewise engagement at such points, passing an electric current from one to the other to heat the proposed point of union and applying lateral pressure to force M the parts toward the position they are in- Jib tended to occupy in the finished structure, said parts being held during the operation against dis lacement longitudinally or in the line of t 9 joint.

3. The method of uniting a wheel rim and its body or center, consisting in :providing them respectively with internal an external projections located in the plane of the parts and adapted to hold them laterally displaced by an edgewise engagement of said. projections, passmglitn electric current from one to the other e they are engaged and points of proposed union that ment of their inner and outer edges respectively and while heated to points of engagement; v

5. The method of uniting an endless metal rim and its metal inclosure by bringing the inside of the rim and the outeredge of the inclos'ure into edgewise engagement laterally, passing a heating electric currentacross thepoints of engagement to bring the parts to plastic condition and forcing the inclosure laterally into position within the rim.

6. The method of" securing a wheel rim to its center or body b bringing the inner edge of the rim and t e outer edge of'the center into lateral edgewise engagement by projections having sloping or rounded surfaces, passin a heating electric current from g5 one to the other across the points of engagement to bring the parts to plasticity and applying lateral pressure to enter the center or. body within the rim and weld the two together. i

7 The method'of constructing a car wheel with a high-grade steel rim or tire, consisting in providing a rolled high-grade steel rim and casting or center of mild steel, said the and center being provided with internal and external rojections respectively, located in the plane of the parts and adapted to hold them temporarily in position of lateral displacement by an edgewise plasticity at such "5 ilio engagement of said projections, assembling 0 the rim and center with their tire and center being provided with internal and external projections res ectively, adapted to hold them temporari y in position of lateral displacement byan edgewlse engagement of said projections, assembling the I'lIIl and center with their projections engaged laterally, heating the projections to bring them to lasticity and applying lateral pressure to orce or crowd the center into position within the rim and at the same time weld the two together.

9. The method of electric welding, which consists in preparing the parts to be welded so that whenengaged at the points of pr0- metal together in their final welded position in the finished structure by forming pieces to desired dimensions but with parts adapted to engage at the points of desired union and hold them laterally displaced from final position, bringing the prepared parts into engagement while in relatively displaced position laterally, passing an electric current from one to the other and applying pressure to bring the parts into relative finished position and while they are held from longitudinal displacement, so as to complete the struc ture and weld its parts together without change of dimension in the line oflthe joint.

11. The method of electrically welding two ieces of metal together, consistin in forming the parts at the point of desired union so that they will be displaced from alinement with one another when engaged laterally, assembling them in position but laterally displaced, assing a heating electric current across t e surfaces engaged to heat the parts to plasticity and applying lateral pressure to bring the two parts into alinement, while at the same time holding them from relative movement longitudinally in the line of the joint.

12. The method of fixing a rim to its inclosure, consisting in forming them at the point of desired union in such manner that they will engage each other by their edges while displaced laterally, assembling them in engagement, passing an electric current Lorene? I across the point of engagement and applying lateral. pressure to enter the inclosure by a lateral or sidewise movement into the rim and at the same time weld the inclosure and its rim together,

13. Themeth of joining a wheel tire or rim and a disk center by so forming the edge of the disk and the interior of the rim or tire that the center will be held from entering the rim laterally by the engagement of the edge of one with the edge of'the other, pass ing .an electric current across the points of engagement to soften the metal, applying pressure to push or crowd the center within the rim by a movement transverse to the plane of the wheel to cause the parts to be welded together and at the same time enter the center within the rim and subsequently, Y

during cooling, subjecting the plastic metal to pressure to s read it out while the heat is being dissipate 14:. The method of joinin a wheel tire or rim and a disk center by so iorming the edge of the disk and the interior of the rim or tire that the center will be held from entering the rim later-ally by the engagement of the edge of one with the edge of the other, heating the points of engagement to soften the metal, applying pressure to push or crowd the center within the rim by a movement transverse to the plane of the wheel to cause the parts to be welded together and at the same time enter the center within the IlIIl and subsequently, during cooling, subjecting the plastic metal to pressure to spread it out while the heat is being dissipate Signed at Lynn in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts this 11th day of March A. D. 1910.

- ELIHU THOMSUN.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MoMANUs, Jr, ROBERT SHAND. 

